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Getty Images Roger Stone leaves the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia after being sentenced on Thursday in Washington.
Roger Stone, a longtime associate of President Donald Trump, on Thursday was sentenced to 40 months in prison after being convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstruction.
Prosecutors had initially asked for seven to nine years in prison for Stone. Trump criticized the length of the sentence on Twitter, and later credited Attorney General William Barr with recommending a more lenient sentence.
See: Trump credits Barr for Justice Department about-face on proposed length of Roger Stone’s prison term
Trump early Thursday tweeted a clip from a Fox News show that appeared to suggest he is considering pardoning Stone. However, speaking in Las Vegas, Trump said he wanted “the process to play out.”
“I would love to see Roger Stone exonerated,” said Trump, describing the jury forewoman as “totally tainted” and biased against the president.
Stone was the sixth Trump aide to be convicted of charges brought as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Stone has denied wrongdoing and calls the case against him politically motivated.
